Supplier Quality Partnership Program

Article Abstract

Launching a Successful Supplier Quality Partnership Program

We, at Sears, are proud of our record of customer service. We believe our ability to continue to satisfy our customer's demand for safe, better made and consistent products, on a timely basis, is directly related to the goods and services being supplied to us by our supplier community.

In January 1987, Sears Canada launched the first ever Supplier Quality Partnership (SOP) Program in the retail industry. A Program that would benefit both Sears and our suppliers by eliminating costly waste and helping us to secure a competitive edge in a global market.

The Supplier Quality Partnership Program was to become a major element in motivating Sears and our suppliers to implement Total Quality Management.

This paper will provide an overview of TQM for Sears and our suppliers with regard to:- What TQM is for Sears;- Why most companies implement TOM and;- Sears Supplier Quality Partnership